"Skip Gundlach" wrote


So, back to the story. You can either live with it, add mechanical
(could be attached to a genset or the main engine - or rigged with a
110 motor and pulley, if you're dockside most of the time) cooling, or
(unless you don't mind losing the space occupied by the original
housing/insulation, in which case you could build it from the inside)
rebuild it from scratch, as we did.

Skip,

We are done with the initial re-insulation and have the Waeco Coolmatic
installed. So let's not get into other types of compressors or changing the
external box insulation - that is behind us!

I just completed insulating the box - insulation now varies from about 1.25"
to 3" where I used polycyanurate board but is 5+" where I poured in foam
around the back and most of bottom.

If I have excessive compressor run time, I could add internal insulation on
the two areas where I could only fit in an extra 3/4" of foam. It would be
quite easy to temporarily add sheets of cyanurate with two-sided tape for a
test.

There's a point of diminishing return, but my marker is to take an
infrared thermo

Not a bad idea - I will try the hand feel first!

Had I known the reality which might have
avoided all the gory details, I might still have cut it out, because
the original insulation, even if it's not sweated (as yours nearly
certainly must have, as thin as it is), loses most of its R-value over
the years.

Our 1/2" insulation was at least totally encapsulated and was bone dry, at
least on the piece I cut out - I have sealed the openings I cut with epoxy
and sealed all edges of the new foam with aluminum tape or epoxy.

Basically now come down to testing and seeing if I need to add the internal
insulation. I am going to insulate the side of the engine room that faces
the icebox. I am also going to ventilate the cupboard that is between the
two.

Thanks guys for all the good ideas. I have several ways I can go and will
try the cheapest first

GBM